Barclays, Teach For America – New York and the NYC Department of Education partner to bring teachers to see “Hamilton”

400 New York City public school teachers will see the Tony Award-winning show and participate in training to make their classrooms more inclusive and culturally relevant.

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New York, N.Y.,February 13, 2017—On Wednesday, February 15, 2017, 400 New York City (NYC) public school teachers, including 200 Teach For America – New York corps members, will attend the evening performance of Hamilton: An American Musical. The unique opportunity to celebrate this community of teaching professionals is part of a fundraiser to benefit Teach For America – New York, a nonprofit organization that expands educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. The event and training is made possible through a partnership with Barclays as part of its commitment to supporting innovation, diversity and preparing the next generation for the jobs of tomorrow.

“We are so grateful to Barclays for its investment in eliminating barriers that our students face to accessing the rich opportunities our city has to offer,” said Charissa Fernández, Executive Director, Teach For America – New York. “It takes everyone – educators, families, policymakers, advocates and businesses – the entire city – to ensure that all kids are getting the education they need and deserve.”

In addition to raising critical funds to support its mission, by pairing the opportunity to attend the show, which is sold out for months, with training that helps teachers understand and respond to different cultures, the event advances Teach For America – New York’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusiveness as key characteristics of an excellent education and culturally responsive pedagogy.

“Barclays is proud to partner with Teach for America – New York in its efforts to ensure that all children receive access to an excellent education,” said Barbara Byrne, Vice Chairman, Barclays. “The fantastic opportunity that this organization provides for our communities contributes greatly to building a stronger and more diverse workforce for the future. We are delighted to support invaluable initiatives like this that seek to promote growth and positive change in the communities where we work and live.”

The 400 teachers who will see the show were selected by the Department of Education and via lottery by Teach For America – New York. This group of NYC public school teachers is comprised of educators who teach a variety of subjects in schools across the city. It also includes both teachers enrolled in Teach For America and those who are not.

“This partnership is a wonderful opportunity to recognize and thank our city’s passionate educators, who work tirelessly to motivate their students and strengthen their school communities,” said New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. “It allows teachers to take the musical back into their classrooms and help bring history to life for those who have not yet seen the show.”

The training, which is scheduled for March, will be hosted by the NYC Department of Education and The Fund for Public Schools and will provide teachers with actionable strategies to teach in and support diverse classrooms.

“This support from Barclays demonstrates how we leverage private funds to respond quickly and strategically to emerging needs, such as supporting diversity and inclusion in the classroom,” explained Sarah Geisenheimer, Executive Director of The Fund for Public Schools. “We are pleased to participate in this initiative to provide teachers with the training and tools necessary to bring the spirit of Hamilton into the classroom.”

Teach For America – New York seeks to strengthen the movement for educational equity and excellence by enlisting, developing and supporting the nation’s most promising future leaders to start their careers in the NYC schools that need them the most. The organization makes a special effort to recruit teachers who share the background of their students -- people of color, first generation college graduates and native New Yorkers.

Teach For America – New York works in partnership with schools and communities to expand educational equity so that one day, every Pre-K through 12th grade student in NYC will have the opportunity to attend great neighborhood schools—schools that support, inspire, and challenge them to become the leaders our city needs. The organization recruits, develops and supports a diverse corps of outstanding college graduates who commit to teach for at least two years in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders and advocates in the effort to end educational inequity. Teach For America teachers reach more than 95,000 NYC students annually. To learn more about Teach For America – New York, please visit https://newyork.teachforamerica.org/.